Friday, October 24, 2025

Ghost Stories #78: Buying a house? Buy smarter with data

We all need somewhere to live, but that doesn't mean that buying property should be the default decision. Most of all, it doesn't mean that buying any property at any price is sensible. Data-led decision making is crucial when buying a home, especially in South Africa where house prices don't automatically go up. Hayley Ivins-Downes of Lightstone Property joined me to discuss the facts around property values and trends in South Africa.

Ghost Stories #77: What AI means for real-world business – and for your job

AI has dominated the headlines this year and is the cause of seemingly bottomless investment in markets like the US. This is technology theatre at its finest, accompanied by flashy presentations and even flashier share prices at the world's biggest tech companies. But what impact is it actually having on the corporates on the ground who are the eventual users of the service? And what does it mean for jobs? Shane Cooper of Forvis Mazars in South Africa joined me to unpack these topics.

Ghost Stories #76: How private cloud prepares you for a rainy day

Steve Porter gets out of bed every day to make sure that the clients of Metrofile Cloud can keep their businesses running when disaster strikes. In a world of public cloud offerings with all the bells and whistles, Metrofile Cloud's private cloud business takes a no-nonsense approach to delivering cloud services to South African businesses of all sizes - and with a real person on the other end of the phone when you need help. In this podcast, he explains how private cloud differs to public cloud.

Ghost Stories #75: A structured approach to global equity exposure

We know that global equities have outperformed global bonds and money market investments over the long term, but this comes with the risk of higher volatility. With a track record in structured products spanning 23 years, Investec has seen practically every type of market cycle play out. Japie Lubbe brings his extensive experience to this discussion, explaining the approach to structured global equity exposure taken by Advanced Investment Holdings in the current environment.

Ghost Stories #74: Start young, stay invested – and use the digital tools at your disposal (with Lauren Jacobs of Satrix)

The digital generation has access to more information and tools than ever before. But the more things change, the more they stay the same: one of the most powerful tools of all remains the benefit of starting young and entrenching the right money habits from as early as possible in your life. Lauren Jacobs of Satrix joined me for a candid discussion about personal finance and investing.

Ghost Stories #73: STADIO – A bright future for students and shareholders

STADIO Holdings is enjoying excellent support in the market for its strategy, evidenced by a strong share price performance in a year when the shine has come off many SA Inc. stocks. This begs the question: how are they getting it right? CEO Chris Vorster and CFO Ishak Kula joined me on this podcast to explain how the growth strategy is playing out.

Ghost Stories #72: Superbalist to Bash – from startup exits to an omnichannel masterclass at TFG

Claude Hanan and Luke Jedeikin have quite the story to tell. With brands like Superbalist and Bash under their belts, this duo made the journey from indie startup founders to corporate executives responsible for driving growth in groups like Takealot and The Foschini Group (TFG). On this podcast, they explain exactly why omnichannel is so powerful.

Ghost Stories #71: ETFs are like a box of biscuits – how do you pick a flavour?

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) offer diversified exposure through a single investment, just like buying a box of biscuits and getting to enjoy a variety of flavours inside. But if you don't know how to read a fact sheet or assess which ETFs you like, then there's no way of knowing what's in the box. Siyabulela Nomoyi of Satrix joined me to share not just his love of biscuits, but also of researching ETFs.

Ghost Stories #70: A structured way to invest in China

With the launch of two new structured products that reference the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index, Investec has sculpted two payoff profiles that could appeal to investors of varying risk tolerances who are interested in gaining exposure to China. Brian McMillan and James Cook joined me to talk through the products.

Ghost Stories #69: Unpacking the Prime Kapital offer to MAS shareholders

Prime Kapital has launched a voluntary bid to acquire all the shares in MAS, with the SENS announcement and circular having been distributed to shareholders. To help you understand the deal, Martin Slabbert and Johan Holtzhausen (Chairman of PSG Capital) joined me on this podcast.

Ghost Stories #68: Clarity on managing risk for traders and investors

Tinus Rautenbach from Clarity by Investec is passionate about the markets and the full spectrum of its participants, from traders through to long-term investors. Clarity caters to them all, with Tinus joining me to share useful tips and insights into how volatility should be managed by different types of equity enthusiasts.
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